Two non-profits awarded $10,000 for Comcast Cares Day accomplishments

While the rewards of volunteering are usually intrinsic, the efforts of over 500 West Jordan volunteers translated into a contribution of $10,000 by one company, to be used to benefit local non-profit organizations.

A total of 578 volunteers braved snow in mid-April for Comcast Cares Day to beautify parks and work on other projects throughout the city.

“I woke up that morning and saw six inches of snow in my driveway, and had a little moment of pause,” Comcast representative Ray Child said at the Sept. 28 city council meeting. “But the residents of West Jordan banded together and would not let a little bit of white stuff get in the way of doing a lot of good for the city of West Jordan.”

Mayor Melissa Johnson decided to give the donation to the Children’s Justice Center and South Valley Sanctuary.

The Children’s Justice Center serves 1,600 children a year who have been victims of crime, helping them to find their voice and develop courage so they can testify in the criminal justice system, said Susanne Michell, Children’s Justice Center director.

The children visit for an hour and a half, during which statements are taken about what they saw and what happened to them.

“In that small amount of time, there is a transformation where they realize that it’s going to be okay, that they do have a voice, that they do have the courage to speak up and that their job is just to tell the truth, and that’s a life-changing experience for them,” Michell said.

Many of the children become quite compassionate and give back to the community, and many even come back to the Children’s Justice Center to do volunteer projects, Michell said.

“Unfortunately, crime tends to increase as the economy goes bad, and there’s more serious crimes against children during tough times,” Michell said. “And so we do need these charities and they do make a difference in our community. And we really rely on donations to help us provide services.”

The South Valley Sanctuary is a domestic violence shelter, helping men, women and children victimized by another member of their family. But possibly their main goal is education.

“We believe that we won’t do anything by just helping people come into our house,” Sanctuary Executive Director Karla Arroyo said. “We want to make sure that our kids, our teenagers know what a healthy relationship is, so that by the time they grow up, they don’t have to use us.”

They hope that one day their doors will be closed because they have happy families and that violence does not exist anymore, Arroyo said.